


together we’d be even cuter

by dotgeebee



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, just two slightly tipsy boys being cute, so many polymachina mentions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-18
Updated: 2017-07-18
Packaged: 2018-12-03 18:59:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11538459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dotgeebee/pseuds/dotgeebee
Summary: At the end of one of the twins' legendary house parties, Gilmore and Jarett hide in a corner, flirting and potentially giving each other ink poisoning. Fluffy as all hell.





	together we’d be even cuter

“So…” Jarett said. He leant back on the sofa, fixing Gilmore with a smirk.

Gilmore refused to rise to it.

“So?”

“This is nice.” Jarett said.

“Vex certainly knows how to throw a party.” Gilmore looked at the streamers and the discarded champagne flutes and the now-silent jukebox in the corner. Everyone had moved outside some time ago, and he could just about hear them dancing and singing along to what he was pretty sure was One Direction. Gilmore wasn’t sure whether he was more surprised that Kash was outside joining in, or that he was still inside enjoying a moment of quiet.

“You know that’s not what I’m talking about.” Jarett said. He tilted his head slightly and bit his lip.

Gilmore had been expecting the evening to reach this point. In fact, he was somewhat surprised that his lipstick was still entirely on his own lips and not smeared across Jarett’s. Not even a little bit.

“Do I now?”

Jarett sighed.

“Are you always like this?” He asked.

Gilmore smirked. Jarett should have known better than to leave him an opening like that. “Like what?”

Jarett rolled his eyes. He grabbed Gilmore’s arm and a stray Sharpie off the table. Somewhere around midnight, Grog and Keyleth had started doing art requests for people on balloons and as such there were a whole rainbow of Sharpies strewn across the entire living room as well as at least a dozen balloons with artistically drawn swear words and dicks on them. Teenagers, man.

Gilmore watched Jarett lean over and begin to write on his arm with the Sharpie. “You bring that gorgeous smile of yours.” Gilmore blushed. “And I’ll bring my award-winning personality.”

Jarett sat up, apparently quite pleased with his work. Gilmore looked at his arm. Jarett had written his number across the entire length of his forearm and underneath he’d written ‘Dinner Saturday?’ and signed off as ‘Jarett (the cute one)’ with more kisses than were probably strictly necessary.

Gilmore laughed. He looked out to where the party was still going. Vax and Keyleth were dancing to some ABBA song Gilmore couldn’t name. He smiled. It was nice seeing both of them so relaxed for once. “Sorry, love, Saturday is date night for me and the sunshine boy.”

When Jarett didn’t reply, Gilmore looked back at him.

Jarett had shifted down the sofa so that their legs were no longer almost touching. He wrapped his arms around his stomach and looked down at the floor, holding his head at an odd angle.

Gilmore had seen this particular set of symptoms too many times to count; Vax had a habit of swinging from happy and giggly to cold and reserved in a matter of seconds when things went wrong.

Gilmore frowned in confusion. “I’m still free the rest of the week though?”

“But you’re dating someone else?” Jarett said, still looking at the floor.

Gilmore laughed. “Yes.”

Jarett looked at the Sharpie scrawls all up Gilmore’s arm. “Sorry, this was stupid I should-”

Gilmore wanted to smack himself round the head. He’d assumed that Jarett was aware of what Allura and Kima affectionately referred to as ‘the polyam disaster zone’ but apparently not.

He stood up too, grabbing onto Jarett’s arm. “It’s not like that.”

“Really?” Jarett spat the word at Gilmore. Gilmore’s ‘Unresolved Trauma’ spidey sense was tingling.

“Vax and me aren’t… we’re not... Gosh, I’ve never had to explain this before.” Gilmore laughed awkwardly. Usually, Vax liked to jump in and handle the awkward conversations because, apparently, Vessars thrived on making straight people uncomfortable.

“Explain what?” Jarett looked hurt.

Gilmore sighed. He much preferred to hide behind a flirtatious smile than have an actual conversation with someone. Well. Someone who wasn’t Vax. “Polyamory.”

Jarett sat down. “Poly-what now?”

Gilmore joined him on the sofa. “Multiple relationships. So I’m dating Vax and but he’s also dating Keyleth, and Percy. Kind of. And Keyleth is dating Kash long-distance. I could go on.” Gilmore didn’t entirely understand the situation with Percy and the twins and he’d decided it was probably better not to ask. The boy had enough problems without people interrogating his romantic entanglements.

Jarett thought for a moment. Gilmore wasn’t sure what he’d say. He’d learned to stop trying to predict people’s reactions to stuff like this ages ago. He’d found that even the most apparently tolerant liberal people could and would freak out on him when he suggested that monogamy wasn’t the only option. 

“But you’re only dating Vax?” Jarett asked. Gilmore could still see the cogs whirring between his ears.

Gilmore shrugged. “At the moment.”

Jarett looked out the French doors. Outside, Vax was now wearing a cowboy hat and being given a piggy-back by Grog, who was running full-speed up and down the back garden. 

“Does he know you’re with me?” Jarett asked.

Gilmore smiled. “Of course. He even left me some cheesy pick-up lines just in case.” Gilmore pulled out the crumpled piece of paper filled with objectively terrible pick-up lines and showed Jarett. He smiled. “Look if you’re uncomfortable, that’s fine, darling. You say the word and I’ll back off. But you’re cute. And I’m cute. And together we’d be even cuter. But Vax is still my sunshine and I don’t think that’s going to change for a while.”

Jarett laughed and flopped back onto the sofa.

“What?”

Jarett sighed. “The idea of Vax being anyone’s  _ sunshine _ is just… well it’s not what I’d expect.” He looked at Gilmore.

Gilmore raised an eyebrow. “What can I say? I’m full of surprises.”

Jarett smirked. “So…”

“So?”

Jarett looked at Gilmore’s arm where the Sharpie was no doubt giving him ink-poisoning or something equally horrific. “Saturday?”

Gilmore smiled. “Saturday.”

* * *

 

The next morning, Gilmore woke to the sound of somebody vacuuming downstairs. He swore under his breath. Next to him, Vax laughed.

He rolled over and looked at Vax, who was sat up in bed next to him playing Pokemon.

“Morning.” Vax said.

“Hi.” Gilmore said. He hauled himself into a more upright position and planted a lazy slightly sloppy kiss on Vax’s cheek, before resting his head on his shoulder.

Vax looked at him. After a moment, a smile broke out across his face. Gosh, he was really something else. “What’s that grin for?” He asked.

Gilmore hadn’t even realised he was smiling. He looked down at his arm. The phone number was a little smudged, but there nonetheless. Gilmore’s smile grew.

“I’ve got a date.”


End file.
